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BATC Race Recap: Rotterdam Marathon

April 15, 2010, 12:59pm

Bay Area Track Club member, Madga Lewy-Boulet, ran a huge personal best time to finish second in the Fortis Rotterdam Marathon on Sunday. Her time, 2:26:22, was nearly a four minute improvement from her previous best set at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials. It also makes her the fourth fastest American woman of all time in the marathon.

Lewy-Boulet ran a sensible early pace, content to let the leaders go and run her own race. The strategy paid off in the final miles as she closed quickly on the eventual winner, Aberu Kebede of Ethiopia. Kebede hung on to win by a mere :57 seconds, with Lewy-Boulet second, and Xialin Zhu, of China, finishing third in 2:29:42. In what is usually a rare feat in marathons, Lewy-Boulet negative-split the race with an opening half of 1:13:55 and a closing half of 1:12:25.

A happy second-place finisher

Ahead of her on the American all-time list are 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Deena Kastor (2:19:36), 1984 Olympic gold medalist Joan Benoit-Samuelson (2:21:21), and 2008 ING New York City Marathon third place finisher Kara Goucher (2:25:53). Lewy-Boulet has, in effect, catapulted herself into the upper echelon among the superstars in American women's marathoning. What's more, as a 36-year-old, Lewy-Boulet is still improving at the distance. Rotterdam represented her eleventh marathon, and with the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials looming in 2012, Lewy-Boulet is arriving just in time to position herself for another shot at a US Olympic Team.

More interesting analysis of Lewy-Boulet's performance can be read on Chanman's Blog and in LetsRun.com's weekly update.

Tags: Magda Lewy Boulet, Rotterdam Marathon, BATC
Read more | Comments (0) | Updated on June 22, 2010, 9:44pm

BATC Race Preview: Fortis Rotterdam Marathon

April 9, 2010, 6:05pm

Magda Lewy-Boulet, of the Bay Area Track Club, will put the finishing touches on a fine spring racing season this Sunday at the Fortis Rotterdam Marathon. Two weeks ago she placed 20th at the World Cross Country Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Rotterdam's flat, fast course will give Lewy-Boulet the perfect opportunity to lower her personal best in the marathon, which currently stands at 2:30:19.

Lewy-Boulet has a straightforward goal going into the race. "Timewise, I want to run a personal best," she said. "This is a fast course and it looks like the weather will be good, so I’ll be shooting for a sub-2:30."

Last year, Rotterdam's fast course helped Kenyan training partners Duncan Kibet and James Kwambai both run 2:04:27, with Kibet leaning ahead for the win. The performances were the 2nd and 3rd fastest men's marathon times in history.

The women's field should help Lewy-Boulet reach her goals. "The women’s field is solid, though not as crazy as the men’s field. There is a Chinese woman who’s run 2:23, and is looking to PR, then 4 or 5 other women in the 2:28 range. There should be plenty of people to race, which always helps push me in the later miles."

The World Cross Country Championships provided a perfect tune up for the marathon. "The race went about as well as I could have hoped, and it’s always nice to have your last race going into a marathon be a good one," Lewy-Boulet said. "It gives me a lot of confidence in my fitness." After the race, Lewy-Boulet spent time visiting relatives in Poland before heading off to Rotterdam.

Highlights of the Fortis Rotterdam Marathon can be found at http://www.fortismarathonrotterdam.co.uk/. TV coverage will be shown on Universal Sports at 9:00 AM Sunday, as well as on the website www.universalsports.com.

Tags: Magda Lewy Boulet, BATC, Bay Area Track Club, Rotterdam Marathon
Read more | Comments (0) | Updated on April 9, 2010, 6:06pm

Lewy-Boulet Finishes 20th as Americans Nab Bronze at World XC

March 29, 2010, 9:39pm

Bay Area Track Club co-founder Magda Lewy-Boulet ran to an outstanding 20th place finish at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships on Sunday in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Lewy-Boulet was also the 3rd American women to cross the line, helping the team win a coveted bronze medal. The medal was the first for any American team since the women's team won bronze at the 2003 championships.

The race was dominated from the gun by the Kenyan team, who agressively pushed the pace. Top American finisher Shalane Flanagan held on to the leaders until the final lap of the course, when the surges of eventual silver medalist, Linet Masai of Kenya, left Flanagan fighting to stay in the top 10. Masai led into the home stretch where she was outkicked for the win by her teammate, Emily Chebet.

Magda en route to her 20th place finish

Flanagan hung on for 12th place overall, closely followed by Molly Huddle (19th), Lewy-Boulet (20th), Amy Hastings (25th), Renee Metivier Baillie (38th), and Emily Brown (41st). Many experts consider the IAAF World Cross Country Championships to be the most competitive distance running event in the world, which makes the American's team bronze medal all the more impressive.

Lewy-Boulet will stay in Europe for the next two weeks to prepare for the Rotterdam Marathon on April 11th. She hopes to use the notoriously flat, fast course in Rotterdam to improve her 2:30:19 personal best in the marathon.

Tags: BATC, Magda Lewy Boulet, IAAF World Cross Country Championships
Read more | Comments (0) | Updated on March 29, 2010, 9:39pm

Lewy-Boulet to Challenge the World's Finest

March 27, 2010, 2:28pm

Bay Area Track Club co-founder Magda Lewy-Boulet will take on many of the world's finest distance runners this Sunday, March 28th, at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. The race will be held in extremely muddy conditions at Myślęcinek Park, in the city of Bydgoszcz, Poland.

Lewy-Boulet qualified for the World Championships by way of her 4th place finish at the US Cross Country Championships on February 28th, in Spokane, Washington. More recently, she notched a strong 3rd place finish at the Gate River Run in Jacksonville, Florida, which served as the 2010 US 15k National Championship. Even more impressive, she has accomplished all this while keeping her training focused on the Rotterdam Marathon, which will take place on April 11th.

Warm, wet conditions have soaked the course at Myślęcinek Park over the past week. That added to already difficult conditions that turned the Polish National Championships into a slog through ankle deep mud earlier this month. Challenging conditions can only help the chances of the underdog U.S. team, which faces and uphill battle against powerhouses like Kenya and Ethiopia.

More information and race updates can be found at http://www.iaaf.org/wxc10/index.html.

Tags: Magda Lewy Boulet, IAAF World Cross Country Championships, BATC
Read more | Comments (0) | Updated on March 27, 2010, 2:30pm

Snow & Mud…What an Opportunity

March 19, 2010, 6:42pm

The following is a blog excerpt written by Magda Lewy Boulet

The last three months have been busy and full of excitement. Since January, I have traveled from Flagstaff AZ, to Houston & Austin TX, Spokane WA, and most recently to sunny Jacksonville, FL. It has been quite a whirlwind experience.

The Gate River Run in Jacksonville was a blast (huge thanks to Richard Fannin for putting together a great field and a great event). The day before the Gate River Run, Samia Akbar, Phil Wharton, and I were given the chance to talk to underprivileged children at the Sanctuary on 8th Street School in Jacksonville and after the race Bolota Asmerom, Phil Wharton, and I had the opportunity to speak with the Florida Cross Country State Champions from Bishop Kenny High. Both events were so much fun. Thanks to the Bishop Kenny boys we were able to enjoy a sweet long run the day after the race. We drove out to University of North Florida and ran on their trail system, which was perfect for a recovery two and a half hour run on soft single-track trails. To top off the trip, the BATC women's team (Blake Russell, Clara Peterson and I) finished first in the team competition.

Training continues to go really well for me, while this week has been pretty challenging. This is my last high mileage week before World Cross and the Rotterdam marathon on April 11th. I had a great workout on Wednesday that consisted of 800 repeats at 5k pace and some 400 repeats at mile pace. Friday is a marathon specific workout and Sunday my final long run. After all the miles I will be ready to switch gears and get ready for racing in snow and mud.

I am so excited for the opportunity to race World XC next weekend. The opportunity to represent Team USA is so amazing to me because this will be the first time ever racing in Poland since I left at the age of 15. I have been dreaming about representing Team USA at this event for years and now more than ever I get a chance to run my heart out on Polish soil. The course is not fast, but rather tough. Check out the IAAF link to some pictures from the Polish National Championships earlier this year. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be on such a strong team of incredible female athletes. Our team is full of accomplished athletes who are hungry to race for a medal.

Best of luck to the entire USA Cross Country team!

Magda

Tags: BATC, Magda Lewy Boulet
Read more | Comments (0) | Updated on March 19, 2010, 6:48pm

BATC Athletes Compete at Gate River Run 15k

March 17, 2010, 1:59pm

Six Bay Area Track Club athletes took to the roads this past weekend at the Gate River Run in Jacksonville, FL. The race is the annual USATF 15k Road Championship and always features top notch competition given its timing in the lead-up to the outdoor track season. The BATC women's team finished first in the team competition while the men finished third.

The women's team was led by Madga Lewy Boulet's third place finish overall, in a time of 50:39. Blake Russell also cracked the top 10 with a stong 7th place finish, in 51:46. In her BATC debut, Clara Horowitz-Peterson finished 18th overall in a time of 53:41. The team narrowly beat out a very strong challenge from Team USA Minnesota, which featured the overall winner, Katie McGregor (49:51).

The men were paced by the newest member of the BATC, Stephan Shay. Shay finished 10th overall, in a time of 44:54. Bolota Asmerom overcame some early troubles to finish 23rd (46:23), just ahead of his BATC teammate, Tom Kloos, who finished 25th (46:34). The men's team competition was won by Team USA Minnesota, led by 3rd place finisher Antonio Vega (43:56). The individual men's champion was Mo Trafeh, who dominated the field and the course in a time of 42:58.

Full results of the race can be found here.

The BATC's successful racing in Jacksonville was matched by Alyisa Johnson's bronze medal (800 meters) and Garrett Heath's 7th place finish (1500 meters) at the World Indoor Track and Field Championships in Doha, Qatar, which were held the same weekend. You can read more about these performances here.

Tags: Gate River Run 15k, BATC, Magda Lewy Boulet, Blake Russell, Clara Horowitz Peterson, Stephan Shay, Bolota Asmerom, Tom Kloos
Read more | Comments (0) | Updated on March 17, 2010, 2:06pm

Magda Qualifies for World Cross Country Championships

February 16, 2010, 6:08pm

SPOKANE, WA -- On Saturday, February 13, Magda Lewy Boulet finished 4th at the USA Cross Country Championships to earn a spot on the US team bound for World Cross Country Championships. She covered the 8km course in a time of 26:09.

In a race that was dominated by Shalane Flanagan of the Oregon Track Club, Magda stuck with the chase pack, trading third and fourth place with Amy Hastings until the final kick when Amy broke away for third place.

Magda en route to her 4th place finish

It was nearly ten years since Magda last raced cross country, but she showed that her road racing skill set translates well to the rougher and hillier terrain of cross country. Fortunately for her, the weather in Spokane held up and the course didn't get too torn up from the four races prior to the Senior Women's.

The World Championships hold special meaning for Magda. The race will take place only a few hours from where she grew up and the trip offers her the chance to see her 98-year-old grandmother, who she hasn't seen in person for a number of years.

Magda said that having family in Poland "was definitely an extra incentive to push hard and make the team." The race will be held on March 28 in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Three weeks later, Magda will race the Rotterdam marathon.

"Trying to do both cross country training and marathon training simultaneously has been a challenge, but the cross country workouts bring a fun element to marathon training."

Tags: magda lewy boulet, bay area track club, batc
Read more | Comments (0) | Updated on February 18, 2010, 12:32pm

Boulet & Gilmore Compete in US Half Marathon Championships in Houston

January 20, 2010, 3:29pm

Magda Lewy Boulet and Peter Gilmore of the Bay Area Track Club competed in the Aramco Houston Half Marathon on Saturday, which doubled as the US Championship at that distance. Boulet finished a strong 5th overall in a time of 1:12:22 and Gilmore finished 11th in 1:03:52.

(Magda en route to her 5th place finish)

Magda is looking ahead to the US Cross Country Championships on February 13 where she hopes to qualify for a spot on the US National Team and a trip to the World Cross Country Championships.

Tags: magda lewy boulet, peter gilmore, houston half marathon
Read more | Comments (0) | Updated on January 20, 2010, 5:52pm

Shannon, Magda, Alysia, & Bolota rank in Top 10 Nationally for 2009

January 12, 2010, 1:10pm

We are proud to report that three members of the Bay Area Track Club -- Shannon Rowbury, Magda Lewy Boulet, and Bolota Asmerom -- ranked in the top 10 nationally in their respective events in 2009.

Rowbury ranked #1 in the US in the 1500m, thanks in part to her bronze medal at the World Championships. She was also the US 1500m Champion, the 5th Avenue Mile Champion, and the winner of the US Road Mile. She posted a 2009 best of 4:00.81.

Madga earned two top-ten spots in the 2009 US rankings, finishing as the #5 best 10k runner and the #6 best marathoner. She posted a 2009 best of 2:32 at the New York City Marathon, where she finished 6th overall. She also ran two half marathons in 1:11:46 and 1:11:47, earning a US Championship at the Houston Half Marathon.

Despite an ongoing struggle with injuries, Alysia broke 2:02 four times in her first year as a professional runner. She was 7th at the US Championships and posted a personal 2009 best of 2:01.09.

Bolota finished 4th at the US 5k Championships in a time of 13:24.00, just barely missing a qualifying spot to represent the US at the World Championships. Bolota took 2nd at the CVS Downtown 5k in Providence, which served as the US Road 5k Championships.

Read more about their successes in the LetsRun.com 2009 Distance Rankings.

Congratulations to all three and here's to a successful 2010!

Tags: shannon rowbury, magda lewy boulet, bolota asmerom
Read more | Comments (0) | Updated on February 6, 2010, 3:54pm

Magda Writes About Her Winter Training In Flagstaff

January 8, 2010, 6:42pm

By Magda Lewy Boulet
January 8, 2010

Although not exactly what I expected, 2009 was a solid year for me. I feel like I am in a much better place right now, both physically and emotionally. Last summer I resigned from coaching at CAL to explore the world of a full time professional athlete. To be honest I struggled for a while with the total readjustment of my routine that I had worked so hard to make over a period of years. I missed the team that inspired me on a daily basis, I missed my fellow coaches who became my friends and I missed being a role model for the athletes I coached. I suddenly felt like a fresh-out-of-college athlete, who, not longer had a support system around me. I needed time to figure out my new routine. But all that has changed since the formation of our new Bay Area Track Club.

Currently I am finishing up my altitude training camp in Flagstaff, Arizona. After 3 great weeks in the mountains, I am ready to go test my fitness in Houston on Jan 17^th. I will be racing the USA Half Marathon Championships there. Then I will switch gears a little and race the cross-country nationals at the end of February. My training here in Flagstaff has always prepared me well for the spring racing season. In 3 weeks at 7000 ft I have completed 360 total miles of running comprising: 3 hill workouts, 3 interval workouts at around 10k pace, 3 tempo runs and 3-long runs (see the graph above of my typical week at altitude).

Many people wonder why I come to Flagstaff in the winter, especially since I live in beautiful California and the weather is idea for training during the winter months. Well, I say it’s because I love to escape to the mountains and there are very few places in US where you can run in December or January on perfectly runable roads at 7000ft. Also, my coach lives here, and I always meet great people that happen to be preparing for the same race as me. This year I ran a lot with Stephan Shay and Phil Wharton. We ran a great amount of miles together. Thank You Stephan and Phil! Stephan and I were roommates here in Flagstaff and I really enjoyed getting to know his personality. His down to earth manner and great sense of humor made the miles go by. I was inspired by Stephan’s approach to training. As a recent college grad he has an amazing work ethic, but at the same time he is very balanced. It takes most runners years to figure out the balance needed to pursue post-college running (i.e. It took me at least a couple of years).

All right, off to Houston next week to face great competition. Wish me fast legs and great weather.

Magda

Tags: magda lewy boulet, flagstaff, batc, bay area track club, training, winter training
Read more | Comments (0) | Updated on January 8, 2010, 6:42pm

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